please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal take on Southampton at the St Mary's Stadium on New Year’s day as the Gunners go searching for their fifth straight win in the league. Their latest win came against Newcastle United at the Emirates and it was a game that not many Arsenal fans will forget in a hurry. Theo Walcott gave the Gunners the lead after calmly finishing a one on one chance against Tim Krul, but Demba Ba levelled the scores just before the break. The Gunners took the lead two more times, but Newcastle kept pegging them back. The game was finely poised at 3-3 with 20 minutes to go but Arsenal stepped up and destroyed Newcastle. Theo Walcott led from the front and with his second goal he put Arsenal into the lead for the fourth time, and then provided an assist for Olivier Giroud who scored Arsenal’s fifth goal. Giroud then scored again and Walcott rounded the night off with a sublime third goal that gave him the match ball and Arsenal all three points. For the first time this season, Arsenal have built a winning run and that helped lift some of the doom and gloom that surrounded the club following their defeat to Bradford City in the League Cup. If the Gunners are to claim their fifth straight win in the league, then they will have to beat a Southampton team that has improved as the season has gone on. In their last league game, the Saints had the chance to get three massive points against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium when they were 3-1 up with a man advantage, but they failed to hang on and in the end they had to make do with a point. Arsenal trashed Southampton when the two sides met at the Emirates earlier in the season. Arsenal took advantage of a Southampton defence that was all over the place, with the likes of Gervinho,Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott getting amongst the goals. Southampton will have to improve tenfold from that performance if they are to get anything from Arsenal this Tuesday. But at home, they are expected to push Arsenal a lot closer. This game will be extra special for Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Theo Walcott, as they return to a ground they called home before they moved to Arsenal. With the race for the Champions League places being so competitive, it’s vital that Arsenal can extend their current winning run against the Saints, but they face a Southampton team that are fighting to stay in the Premier League. Southampton led by Nigel Adkins have achieved back to back promotion from League one to the Premier League, it’s a very impressive feat considering just how competitive the championship has become these days. Southampton lost their first four league games, and it really was the worst possible start they could have made to life in the Premier League. But, in three of those four games they took on the top three from the previous season, so it was never going to be easy. Their first win in the league came against Aston Villa at St Mary’s, it was a huge win and one that they badly needed. In total, Southampton have only won four of their nineteen games this season and that has seen them drop into the relegation zone. However, they are only a point behind the likes of Aston Villa and Wigan, with a game in hand over their rivals. So the Saints still have a very realistic chance of staying up. Rickie Lambert has been the man that has got the goals for them this season and so far he has seven goals to his name in the league. Lambert was prolific in the lower leagues, although he has not been as lethal in front of goal in the Premier League, he has still popped up with vital goals for his team. Southampton surprised everyone by signing the highly rated Uruguayan playmaker, Gaston Ramirez in the summer transfer window. He has had his moments for Southampton this season, but he is clearly still adjusting to a new league and country and has not been able to provide his new team with the sort of impact that they might have hoped for when they signed him. Adam Lallana has been the stand out player for the Saints in midfield and his performances have certainly caught the eye. But the influential midfielder has missed Southampton’s last three league games with a knee injury, and they have not been able to win without him. So Southampton will hope that he can recover from his injury in time to face Arsenal. Morgan Schneiderlin is also another player that has impressed in the Southampton midfield but he will be tested against a midfield trio of Mikel Arteta,Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla. The Southampton defence has conceded 37 goals this season, and it has been their biggest weakness. In goal, they have had real problems with the likes of Kelvin Davis, Paulo Gazzaniga and Artur Boruc failing to impress, so a new goal keeper could be something that Southampton could be on the lookout for once the transfer window opens. On Tuesday, the Southampton defence will be looking to keep out an Arsenal attack that scored seven goals in their last game. Theo Walcott got three of those and he is Arsenal’s top scorer this season with fourteen goals in all competitions. Walcott’s pace is going to worry their defence and Arsenal have been far more precise with their counter attacks in recent weeks and it’s something that the Saints will have to wary of when they commit men in attack. Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score two goals in the win over Newcastle and the Frenchmen would have been delighted with his contribution and will hope that he has done enough to earn a spot in the starting line-up against the Saints on New Year’s Day. Per Mertesacker missed the game against Newcastle after falling ill and the Gunners will hope that he can recover in time to face Southampton because they did miss the calm authority of the big German. Mertesacker has been without a doubt Arsenal’s best defender this season and it’s vital that they get him back into the first team as soon as possible. Arsenal have won their last two away games and a win against Southampton at St Mary’s will be the best possible start to a new year, which will bring fresh hopes. 2012 was a mixed year for the Gunners, and they will hope that 2013 can be more kind. With the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea being in excellent form, it’s vital that Arsenal extend their winning run and maintain their current form. Although, Southampton will have other ideas and the race for survival is as fierce and as tight as the race for the Champions League places. Both Arsenal and Southampton are teams that play attacking football, so we are potentially in for a treat. Team News: Form Guide: please log in to view this image Three Key Match-ups: please log in to view this image Rickie Lambert please log in to view this image Morgan Schneiderlin please log in to view this image José Fonte Overall Record vs: Southampton: Played: 80 Wins: 42 Draws: 22 Losses: 16 For: 137 Against: 80 GD: 57 Last 6 Meetings: Arsenal 6 - 1 Southampton Southampton 1 - 1 Arsenal Arsenal 2 - 2 Southampton Arsenal 2 - 0 Southampton Southampton 0 - 1 Arsenal Arsenal 1 - 0 Southampton (FA Cup Final) please log in to view this image Manager's Views: Arsene Wenger on the quality of the Premier League: My Team: please log in to view this image Final Score: please log in to view this image
Ox and Pod played well in the last game. Southampton is another defense that Walcott should find easy. Cazorla has been sub-par for 2 games in a row (since his epic 10/10 against Reading). Gibbs and Sagna need to put in better defensive performances. It's time Arteta put in a better game too. Would like to see Giroud and Rosicky get half an hour.
Yes, I think Podolski's performance has gone somewhat unnoticed. He was a lot better and looked stronger and faster. Excellent pass for Walcott's first goal and worked really hard down that left side, was also more involved in the general play. Hope he can keep it up, because when he has a bad game, he really does disappear.
You'll beat us I reckon but it will be good to see Walcott against what I hope is a deep defensive line see if he's as effective. We could snatch a draw if Lallana makes it back if not I see you guys edging it. Will be nice to see the fellas back and they'll get a round of applause from me .
Yep, Lallana is a quality player, I predicted him to score against us, but changed that when it wasn't clear he'd be back Pod has been decent for 3 games. Against Reading he was even better, and Wigan wasn't too bad either (at least compared to last month).
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